PW Metro requests emails

The Pueblo West Metropolitan District Board is asking Pueblo County for private emails between a county official and Pueblo West officials.

The board voted 4-1 Tuesday night to ask the county for emails involving Pueblo County Transportation Director Greg Severance related to a memorandum of understanding dealing with the Southern Delivery System and a water variance between the district and Pueblo County School District 70.

The board also is asking for emails dealing with the last metro board election regarding a road tax and a proposed baseball field to be built in Pueblo West by a company called Matrix, where Severance was once employed.

Last week, the county filed a Colorado Open Records Act request to the metro district asking for all communications between Severance and the metro district from June 1, 2012, through Friday — but regarding only SDS.

Metro officials said the emails the county received through the request are not questionable.

“This implicates all present and past Pueblo West officials as of the CORA request of the county associated with Mr. Greg Severance as of 2012 . . .” said district board member Mark Carmel, who brought the motion forward Tuesday night.

A Chieftain report, which earlier this month revealed emails between Pueblo City Council President Sandy Daff and council members Ami Nawrocki and Chris Kaufman showed them working on a covert agenda with Severance.

Board member Barbara Bernard said she was uncomfortable with voting in favor of the motion because she wanted more information on the matter.

“All they could do is ask their employee (Severance) for the private emails and if he doesn’t, then it may take a court to do what is called ‘an in- chamber review,’ ” Carmel said.

Carmel said he wants to clear the good names of the innocent people currently on the board as well as past Pueblo West officials.

“It just seemed to be questionable about who we were negotiating with and who was negotiating on behalf of the metro board . . . There’s a cloud of uncertainty surrounding all of those issues,” Carmel said.

“I would like to settle once and for all and clear everybody’s good name that there were no private emails,” Carmel said.

Board President Lew Quigley said he is offended that he was included in the CORA request from the county.

“I was elected during that period of time. I sat on this board and it offended me that somebody is asking for information involving me when I had no input to it at all,” Quigley said.

“Even if it’s an innocent somebody sends somebody and this name is on there, I am involved in this.”